Creme de la Weird
The Kyiv Post reported on Dec. 13 that Russia’s security service, the FSB, has released its 2024 propaganda fundraising calendar, and it’s a doozy! The front cover features “art” of an improbably ripped Vladimir Putin giving his best sultry stare while leaning on a big, black compensator vehicle. Meanwhile, the apocalyptic November image depicts an FSB special forces soldier standing before the U.S. Capitol while drones and helicopters attack it. Is this a popular holiday gift in Russia? Who knows. The bigger question: Why does the FSB need to fundraise? [Kyiv Post, 12/13/2023]
Weird Science
• Gatorland in Orlando, Florida, can boast a fascinating new resident: a leucistic white alligator, born on Dec. 7, CNN reported. The female gator is believed to be one of only eight in the world and the only one born in human care. She was hatched along with a normal-colored brother of the same size (about 19 inches long). “Leucistic alligators are the rarest genetic variation in the American alligator,” the park said. They have bright blue eyes, as opposed to albino gators, which have pink eyes. The public is invited to vote on a name on the park’s social media sites. [CNN, 12/7/2023]
• Scientists at Northwestern University in Chicago have created teeny-tiny VR headsets for laboratory mice, Sky News reported on Dec. 8, so that they can experience the freedom they will never have. The Miniature Rodent Stereo Illumination VR has two lenses and two screens to give the little dudes a realistic 3D picture of … aerial threats, like an owl coming in for a meal. The goggles help the mice “engage with the environment in a more natural way,” said lead scientist Daniel Dombeck. [Sky News, 12/8/2023]
Crime Report
In Louisville, Kentucky, a bronze statue of President Abraham Lincoln has been seated on a rock, overlooking the Ohio River, since 2009, the Louisville Courier Journal reported. But Lincoln’s top hat, which rested at his side on the rock, disappeared sometime at the beginning of December. The sculptor, Ed Hamilton, suspects the hat was stolen: “It was anchored down into that monolith rock,” he said. “I don’t know what they could have used, maybe some more manpower or some crowbars. Bring the hat back because you can’t wear it,” he warned potential thieves. Police and park officials are investigating. [Louisville Courier Journal, 12/10/2023]
Bright Idea
An unnamed 22-year-old man from Taiwan was detained on Dec. 5 at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok after he was found to be transporting two Asian small-clawed otters and a prairie dog, Metro News reported. The man had the animals stuffed into three separate socks and taped into his boxer shorts; security officers became suspicious about the large bulge below the man’s waistband. They believe he purchased them at a market in the city. The animals were taken to the Wildlife Conservation Office; the smuggler was arrested. “We will catch anyone who tries to take animals on planes,” a Thai customs department spokesperson said. [Metro News, 12/8/2023]
Suspicions Confirmed
Cops in Genoa, Italy, were stumped by a drug-trafficking case in their city, BNN reported on Dec. 1 — that is, until they noticed a large number of bald and beardless men visiting a local barbershop. Investigators initiated surveillance and searched the shop, where they found 100 grams of cocaine, precision scales, and packaging materials. They also found hashish at the barber’s home and evidence of ongoing communication with inmates in a Genoa prison. The 55-year-old barber is awaiting sentencing at the Marassi prison. [BNN, 12/1/2023]
Awesome!
The Burnside Shelter in Portland, Oregon, hit the jackpot earlier in the year when workers discovered a pair of gold sneakers at the bottom of a donation bin, United Press International reported. Turns out, the Air Jordan 3 kicks were commissioned by Spike Lee for him to wear at the 2019 Academy Awards — and they’re valued at more than $10,000, according to Sotheby’s. The auction house were to donate 100 percent of the proceeds, expected to be as much as $20,000, to the Portland Rescue Mission, which operates the shelter. Bidding continued through Dec. 18. [UPI, 12/13/2023]
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
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